


"Was that you making that noise?"

by drugstoreperfume



Series: drabble prompts for the exy kids [1]
Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: M/M, from the alice writes: drabble prompts, honorable features from king and sir, this is as toothrotting as fluff can get for them really..., this was meant to be 200 words WHEEZE..
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-03
Updated: 2018-09-03
Packaged: 2019-07-06 10:11:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 936
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15883947
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/drugstoreperfume/pseuds/drugstoreperfume
Summary: Neil wakes up from a nightmare and hears a strange, deep humming noise. He also can't find Andrew. Or the cats.





	"Was that you making that noise?"

**Author's Note:**

> I realised I didn't really clarify what place in their life they are soooo  
> Place in the timeline of their life: probably around mid-late twenties, so they still play Exy but they're on the same team and renting a place together.
> 
> (I haven't beta'd this sorry)

When Neil awoke that night, heart in his throat and sticky with night terror, he found the other side of the bed empty. The indent where Andrew had recently been remained, but he was not there. This wasn’t unusual; he was most likely on the balcony outside of their room – _their room_ – smoking until whatever came to the surface submerged itself. It was one of those nights. Disturbing the creases where Andrew had been with his index finger, Neil calmed his breathing for a moment before standing.

As he approached the curtains, Neil became certain that Andrew had ventured outside. The cool night air, a relief from summer’s heat, soothed Neil’s raw and balmy edges. He plucked at the fabric of his t-shirt to allow the air in. Padding forward, the curtains moved in the breeze like they were trying to meet his hand. For once, the room smelled less like sweat and more like the trees outside. It would always smell like smoke, but Neil didn’t mind it. Neil’s hand met the eager curtain and pulled it aside to reveal the balcony – the streetlamp below cast shadow from underneath the balcony rail, revealing a pack of cigarettes, half smoked, on the ledge, and a space devoid of Andrew. Clicking his tongue, Neil reached to put the butt of a cigarette into the ashtray before venturing back inside.

Neil’s eyes passed over the empty bed again, and he debated with himself. While he wanted to find Andrew, the sheets of his bed looked cool and comforting and would soothe him all the same. They had both come a long way from being Foxes and now, in their own place, Neil wasn’t worried about either of them running away from the other. Andrew would be somewhere, doing something, and he would eventually come back to Neil. As sure as he was of this, the fraying parts of Neil that had been stirred by his nightmare were calmed by his assurance all the same.

On the other hand, while Neil didn’t need Andrew to calm himself down anymore, he did quite like having the cats around. Usually, as if smelling his emotions, King would come running in, fat furry belly nearly scraping the floor. Sir would be wherever Andrew was, to Andrew’s annoyance, but Neil could feel King’s absence. Confused, he shuffled in socked feet out of the bedroom and into the hallway.

The hallway of their place was short, not all that dark, and in the daytime painted in a disgusting shade of real-estate marigold that the landlord insisted they did not change. All in all, it was an unthreatening hallway. However, the hallway became more bewildering when Neil heard the noise.

Just to the left of him and down, underneath the staircase at his side, was a strange clucking, cooing noise. It was rough, like a drain pipe gurgling, or nails against rusted metal, and yet it was tuneful. Behind it was an almost-silent hum like a car engine. The noise was chesty, and together it was confusing. Not wanting to make noise, Neil abandoned returning to the light switch back down the hallway and decided to navigate the stairs.

As he reached the bottom of the stairs and turned the corner, the growling tune became louder. Neil was suddenly thankful that he had forgotten to remove his socks, as they allowed him to slide along the wooden floor with no sound. He went slowly, eyes adjusting to the darkness, and the thrumming got louder. The pads of his fingers silently found reference points on the walls and doorframes to either side of him. Door ajar, the light of the kitchen cast a slit down the floor of the downstairs hallway. Neil reached for the door handle and pulled the door towards him. The growling fell silent.

Looking around, Neil saw Andrew crouched, frozen, holding Sir and King in each arm. The fat cats took up a large portion of his short torso, so he looked engulfed by cat. Sir, oblivious to the tense situation, continued to purr quietly. There was a beat of pregnant paused before King broke the moment, characteristically leaping from Andrew’s arms and wrapping himself around Neil’s legs like a boa. Neil crouched to lift King but kept his eyes on Andrew.

Neil began, “Andrew –“

“Don’t say it.” Andrew returned Neil’s stare with a cold look. He still hadn’t returning Sir to the ground.

Shock passing, Neil couldn’t mask his amusement. “W-was that you making that noise?”

“Shut up.”

“Were you singing to them?” Neil’s heart was full.

Andrew rose to full height and dropped Sir without care. Sir, as cats do, made it work and scampered off to complain about something. “No,” Andrew said, “I don’t sing to them.”

Neil smiled. “I like your voice.”

“That’s a silly thing to say considering you’ve never heard my voice.” Andrew moved to pass by him.

“Will you sing for me sometime?”

“I don’t sing,” Andrew retorted, passing him and leaving the kitchen.

Neil couldn’t keep the warm smile from his face. Smiles were now becoming less rare for him, but one this warm and gentle felt unusual, light, free. Neil planted a kiss on King’s head before dropping him and following Andrew. He knew King would follow.

He wouldn’t feel right until the morning – that was how these things went – but when he lay beside Andrew again, King nestled between them, the sizzling tendrils of whatever the night had left him were doused slightly. Neil felt comfortable to rest into the lagoon of his bed and let sleep, and Andrew, fix the damage.

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first prompt from the drabbledrabbledrabbledrabble drabble prompts (that's a shit ton of drabbles). I don't own these men but I do love them dearly and I want them to be happy with their cats. Please comment what you thought of this!


End file.
